Improvement in self-acting wagon-brakes



'I'. J'. ROGKEY.

Wagon-Brake.

No 57,972. l Patented Sept. 1l, 1866.

WZZneJSeJ N.PETERS, PMOTGJJTHDGRPHIER, WASHjNGTON. D: C.

EETCE.

THOMAS J. ROOKEY, OF MCELHATTAN, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN SELF-ACTING WAGON-BRAKES.

` Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 57,972, dat-ed Septemberll, 1866.

To ali whom it may concern Be it known that I, THOMAS J. ROCKET, of McElhattan, in the county of Clinton and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Vagon-Brakes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, sufficient to enable one skilled in the art to which the invention appertains to make use of it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure l is a view of the running-gears of the wagon as seen from beneath, with the parts in the position they occupy while the wagon is in motion. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is a view from beneath ot the running-gears in the position they assume when at rest, vt-he wheels locked.

The invention consists of an arrangement in which, by draft upon the tongue, the rubbers are withdrawn from contact with the wheels. When the wagon is at rest the rubbers are in contact with the wheels. When backing the wagon the wheels are free, and so arrau ged that when holding back going downhill the wheels are locked, or at least rubbed, by the locking arrangement.

The normal condition of the wagon-stand ing stillrepresen ted in Fig'. 3 shows the rubbers a in contact with the wheels, the springs b b drawing upon the rod c, which is underneath the coupling-pole F. This rod is connected by pin or other coupling to the links d, which, being pivoted to the double levers cf, produce the required contact.

When the wagon is moved bythe draft upon the tongue, the rod c being' attached by the chain g to the tongue, the latter bends the ends of the springs b b forward into the position shown in Figs. l and 2, so as to relieve their draft upon the levers cf, and by pressure upon the said levers in a contrary direction to remove the rubber a from contact with the wheel, as shown in thelast-mentionedgures--l and 2.

When the team ceases to pull, the springs b b restore the rubbers to the wheels; but it is desirable to remove them when the wagon is to be backed. For this purpose the horses are attached by their breast-straps to the strap h, which passes over the roller i in the end of the tongue, and thence upon the tongue to the point of connection with the chain g, so that as the strap h passes over the pulley and the chain g and rod c are drawn forward the tension of the springs is relaxed and the rubbers withdrawn from the wheels.

There remains one more condition to be described, and this is the wagon when going downhill. In this case the latch-bolt j in the strap 7c on the tongue is caused to en gage with a hole, l, in the strap h, so that when the horses pull upon the said strap in backing it does not run over the roller t', but affords a secure means ot' holding the tongue back, while, the chain g being slacliened, the springs b b maintain the contact ofthe rubbers with the wheels.

A A are the fore and hind axles; B, the wheels; C, the hounds; D, the tongue-hounds; E, the slider; F, the coupling-pole; G, the brakebar; H, the rubbers; I, the tongue; J, the king-bolt. m is the tongue-rod, which occnpies a slot in the tongue and secures the tongue to the tongue-hounds. The slot permits a certain amount ot' longitudinal motion of the tongue, so as to slacken or tighten the chain g, for the purposes described-that of permitting the springs to actuate the lockingrubbers, or of withdrawing their tension therefrom.

Having described my invention, whatI claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- L.

The arrangement of the strap h, chain g, rod c, springs b b, and locking devices d c f, constructed and operating substantially as described and represented.

To the above speciication of my inlprovement in self-actin g wagon-brakes I have signed my hand this llth day of July, A. D. 1866.

T. J. HOCKEY.

Witnesses GHAs. D. SMiTE, J As. L. EwrN. 

